Stewart Makes Contact

Driver Runs Into Photographer In Garage Area

HOMESTEAD, FLA. — On the eve of the most important race of his NASCAR career, Tony Stewart found himself in the middle of yet another public relations firestorm.

Just as three other times this year, it involved improper contact.

And just like after the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in August, it matched Stewart against a professional photographer in the close confines of the Winston Cup garage area.

Rusty Jarrett (no kin to the racing Jarretts) said Stewart deliberately ran into him early Saturday afternoon at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"He changed his direction to come after me,'' Jarrett told the media. "There's no doubt in my mind it was intentional. It wasn't an incidental bump. He brought up his (left) arm and elbow and knocked me off balance.''

Jarrett is an accredited, professional photographer with full speedway-issued credentials for the weekend. He said he was 15 to 20 feet from Stewart, shooting with a long lens, when the Winston Cup points leader began jogging from his car to his team hauler. It was after the final Ford 400 practice session, and Stewart apparently was ducking a group of photographers waiting near the garage.

"I saw him through the lens as he came toward me,'' Jarrett said. "I wasn't in his way; in fact, I was as far from him as I could get and still get the shot. But he kept coming, and then went out of his way to hit me with his arm and elbow. He had a pretty intense look on his face. There was no reason for him to hit me.''

NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter called a photo of the incident "inconclusive'' and said there was no chance Stewart would be suspended from today's season-finale. That, even though he's been on probation since admitting to improper contact with the photographer in Indianapolis. That incident cost him a $50,000 fine; his sponsor, Home Depot, ordered him to make a similar donation to charity.

Professional photographer George Tiedemann and Kim Novak, an executive with Speed Channel, saw the incident differently.

"I don't think Tony knew who he'd run into,'' Novak said. "He was looking back, then he looked up and there was the photographer right on top of him. It was totally accidental. He just bumped into the guy, he didn't hit him.''

Tiedman said Jarrett might have thought one thing happened, when it was something different.

"It's intense out there, and sometimes it takes a while to figure it all out,'' he said. "Rusty is a pro, a very good photographer. But I saw it, and it was accidental contact. Tony thought so, too. He didn't stop and apologize because that would have made it even worse. At the time, he was trying to get away from a bunch of photographers.''

Hours later, following a 30-minute meeting among Jarrett, Stewart, three NASCAR officials and team owner Joe Gibbs, apparently all was forgiven.

"Rusty expressed his opinion and Tony expressed his opinion,'' Hunter said. "It's fair to say they disagreed somewhat on what happened. At the end, though, it became a very cordial meeting. Tony apologized and they shook hands. Rusty wished him luck in the race.

"So as far as we're concerned, it's a closed issue. You know that if this had been anyone other than Tony Stewart, it wouldn't have become this sort of issue. We also realize we have some (garage and pit area) issues, and we're working on them. We expect to have some changes in the access policies for next year.

"But I can tell you this: Mike Helton (NASCAR president) took it very seriously. I think Rusty defused some of that when he and Tony talked it out. Tony was very cooperative throughout the whole time. He and Rusty had a very good conversation. I think that at the end Rusty believed him when Tony said it was accidental.''

Earlier in the day -- but before the incident Jarrett had become public -- Stewart and second-ranked Mark Martin did a Q&A with the media. Stewart will start sixth and has an 89-point lead over Martin in the championship standings. It's hard to find anyone in the garage who doesn't expect Stewart to run well and win the title today.

Stewart said he was happy with his Pontiac, but would make some minor changes before today's race. He said he is "as relaxed as I've ever been in this situation'' and that he isn't worried about anything.

"Stuff can happen any weekend,'' he said. "Why should I worry about it any more this weekend that any other time.''

Martin, who'll start 34th, played it close to the vest. He said his Ford was good, but not nearly good enough.

"We'll be good on long runs, if we have long runs,'' he said. "But if Tony doesn't have some sort of trouble, we don't have a chance.''

Trouble? Isn't that Stewart's middle name?

Al Pearce can be reached at 247-4641 or by e-mail at apearce@dailypress.com

SCENARIO

If Stewart finishes 22nd or higher, he will win the championship. Steart can also finish 24th or higher if he leads a lap or 25th or better and leads the most laps.